Sneak Peek: Twenty-One Trends for the 21st Century

In Twenty-One Trends for the 21st Century futurist, Gary Marx, lays out an array of trends with seismic shifts that have real implications for organizations, nations, and each of us:

1.) Generations: Millennials will insist on solutions to accumulated problems and injustices and will profoundly impact leadership and lifestyles.

2.) Diversity: In a series of tipping points, majorities will become minorities, creating ongoing challenges for social cohesion. (Worldwide: Growing numbers of people and nations will discover that if we manage our diversity well, it will enrich us. If we don’t manage our diversity well, it will divide us.)

3.) Aging: In developed nations, the old will generally outnumber the young. In developing nations, the young will generally outnumber the old.

4.) Technology: Ubiquitous, interactive technologies will shape how we live, how we learn, how we see ourselves, and how we relate to the world.

5.) Identity and Privacy: Identity and privacy issues will lead to an array of new and often urgent concerns and a demand that they be resolved.

6.) Economy: An economy for a new era will demand restoration and reinvention of physical, social, technological, educational, and policy infrastructure.

7.) Jobs and Careers: Pressure will grow for society to prepare people for jobs and careers that may not currently exist.

8.) Energy: The need to develop new sources of affordable and accessible energy will lead to intensified scientific invention and political tension.

9.) Environmental/Planetary Security: Common opportunities and threats will intensify a worldwide demand for planetary security.

10.) Sustainability: Sustainability will depend on adaptability and resilience in a fast-changing, at-risk.

11.) International/Global: International learning, including relationships, cultural understanding, languages, and diplomatic skills, will become basic. (Sub-trend: To earn respect in an interdependent world, nations will be expected to demonstrate their reliability and tolerance.)

12.) Personalization: In a world of diverse talents and aspirations, we will increasingly discover and accept that one size does not fit all.

13.) Ingenuity: Releasing ingenuity and stimulating creativity will become primary responsibilities of education and society.

14.) Depth, Breadth, and Purposes of Education: The breadth, depth, and purposes of education will constantly be clarified to meet the needs of a fast-changing world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gary Marx is president of the Center for Public Outreach. He is a noted author, educator, speaker, and futures thinker whose books, articles, ideas, and workshops have inspired leaders worldwide and in every walk of life.

Marx, who acts both locally and globally, is an on-the-ground communicator, determined to understand people and issues and offer counsel on numerous fronts. In his work on six continents, he has delivered energizing presentations, advised leaders, and helped communities and their education systems find common ground and conceive of alternative futures. He has especially been inspired by educators and students worldwide who are developing civic education projects to improve life in their communities. Marx was an advisor for the Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitution and led community-wide efforts to build parks and a monument in places where his family has lived. Gary Marx has been recognized with lifetime achievement awards from organizations such as the National School Public Relations Association and the American Association of School Administrators.

Praise for 21 Trends

"Gary Marx has masterfully given us a glimpse of the future in its many aspects, and has also shown us how to prepare to deal with its major challenges. His book is especially targeted at helping educators adapt schooling to a society and economy that will be quite different from today's.
--Jack Jennings, Founder, Center on Education Policy

"Gary Marx offers us insights into the future for which we are expected to prepare our students. As an educator, I have depended of Gary’s work for teacher education, leadership development, planning, and international speaking engagements. For me, these trends represent a well-researched, reputable, and reliable source of projections and insights."--Avis Glaze, President, Edu-quest International, Inc.

"A groundbreaking compendium of the most pressing issues that we will be facing, organized into one highly engaging and accessible book."--Donald J. Beaudette, Associate Professor of Practice, Boston University School of Education

"In his compelling book, Gary Marx steers us through the maze of trends that will have a significant impact on our educational leaders, our classrooms, our students and our future. Outside the Trenches offers practical information, ideas and suggestions with the purpose of transforming education, rather than simply defending the status quo."--Johnny Veselka, Executive Director, Texas Association of School Administrators